ethical consumerism and canadians

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Ethical Consumerism and Canadians www.abacusdata.ca Part 2 of the Corporate and Community Social Responsibility Research Series A survey of 1,362 Canadians Conducted from November 29 to December 2, 2010 Conducted for: The Corporate and Community Social Responsibility Conference at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario

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Page 1: Ethical Consumerism and Canadians

Ethical Consumerism and Canadians

www.abacusdata.ca

Part 2 of the Corporate and Community Social Responsibility Research Series

A survey of 1,362 CanadiansConducted from November 29 to December 2, 2010

Conducted for: The Corporate and Community Social Responsibility Conference at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario

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SAbacus Data and the Corporate and Community Social Responsibility Conference have partnered to produce a series of public opinion and market research studies on CCSR in Canada.

CCSR is a growing area of interest not only for corporations but also for community organizations, social enterprises, consumers, and government.

There is a significant amount of research data from American and European sources.

The intent of this six-part research series is to gather data from Canadians by Canadians over a 12-month period. It will give us a Canadian perspective on corporate and community social responsibility and allow us to track attitudes and behaviour over time.

In October 2010, a benchmark study was conducted and the results released at the CCSR Conference held at Algonquin College in Ottawa on November 16, 2010. It examined opinions and behaviour of Canadian consumers towards CCSR.

Topic Expected Release Date

Canadian Benchmark Survey October 2010

Ethical consumerism January 2011

Ethical employment and compensation

February 2011

Individual social responsibility April 2011

Ethical investing August 2011

Canadian Benchmark Survey and Global Comparisons

October 2011

For more information about this series, please contact David Coletto at [email protected]

About the Research Series

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YSurvey Methodology

From December 3rd to 6th, 2010, Abacus Data Inc. conducted an online survey among 1,362randomly selected Canadian adults from an online panel of over 100,000 Canadians.

The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is comparable to +/- 2.7%, 19 times out of 20.

Results of the survey were statistically weighted by gender, age, region, language using census data from Statistics Canada.

Totals may not add up to 100 due to rounding.

More interviews were completed in Atlantic Canada and so the weighted total of interviews does not add up to 1,361.

For more information about the poll’s methodology, visit the Abacus website at www.abacusdata.ca

The table below reports the unweighted and weighted distribution by region or province.

Region/ProvinceUnweighted Count(All Respondents)

Weighted Count(All respondents)

Atlantic Canada 253 98

Quebec 258 318

Ontario 474 511

Prairies (MB and SK) 79 92

Alberta 132 147

BC 166 182

Total 1362 1348

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SKey Findings

• More than half of Canadians (58%) consider themselves to be ethical consumers.

• Women (64%), those aged 45- 59 (60%), and Canadians aged 60 and up (70%) were the most likely to say they consider themselves an ethical shopper.

• Canadians say they will pay a premium for locally-grown food.

• About seven in ten Canadians (69%) said they would be willing to pay more money for a meal at a restaurant if all the ingredients were grown locally.

• Almost three-quarters of Canadians (74%) said they would be willing to pay more for groceries if a version was available from a local grower or producer.

• Most Canadians show willingness to spend more for a $100 item if they were absolutely guaranteed that the item was ethically made.

• Three in ten respondents (29%) said they would spend $15 or more on a $100 item if they were sure it was ethically made.

• Women and millennials (aged 18-29) would spend the most, on average, for an ethically-made product.

• A majority of Canadians (60%) talk with friends and family about topics relating to social responsibility.

• Over the past year, over half of Canadians (52%) talked about the merits of buying locally produced products.

• Ethical behaviour was discussed by four in ten Canadians regarding a company’s ethical behaviour (41%) and about avoiding products or services from a company they believe is unethical (40%).

• There are four types of ethical consumers: Indifferent, Conditional, Adopting, and Committed.

• The largest segment in Canada is the Conditional Ethical Consumers, representing about 60% of consumers over 18 years of age.

www.abacusdata.ca

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An ethical consumer is someone who shops for products and services that they consider to be made ethically. Ie. with minimal harm to, or exploitation of, humans, animals,

and/or the environment. Do you consider yourself an ethical consumer?(n=1,348, weighted)

Subgroup Analysis

Male Female 18-29 30 - 44 45 - 59 60 +

Yes 51% 64% 51% 50% 60% 70%

No 49% 36% 49% 50% 40% 30%

N 654 694 273 379 364 332

AnalysisMore than half of Canadians (58%) consider themselves to be ethical consumers, while two in five (42%) do not.

Women (64%) were more likely than men (51%) to say they consider themselves an ethical shopper.

There are differences among generations: Millennials (18-29) and Gen Xers (30-44) are evenly divided on the question, while 60% of Boomers and 70% of those 60+ consider themselves to make ethical purchases.

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Yes, 58%No, 42%

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SHow much more (in dollars) would you be willing to pay on a $50 meal at a

restaurant if all the ingredients were grown locally?(n=1,348, weighted)

Mean Spending by Subgroup (in $)

Male Female 18-29 30 - 44 45 - 59 60 +

Mean $6.59 $7.35 $8.08 $7.08 $6.37 $6.65

% Spend more than $5 40% 48% 49% 43% 42% 44%

N 654 694 273 379 364 332

AnalysisAbout seven in ten Canadians (69%) said they would be willing to pay more money for a meal at a restaurant if all the ingredients were grown locally.

One in four said they would pay less than $5 more while 31% said they would pay between $5 and $10 more.

Overall, the average amount that Canadians would pay for locally produced food at restaurants was $6.98.

Women and millennials (18 to 29 years old) were more likely to say they would spend more than $5 more. They also had higher spending means.

www.abacusdata.ca

None; 31%

Less than $5; 25%

$5 to $10; 31%

$10 to $15; 4%

$15 to $20; 5%Over $20; 4%

Overall Mean$6.98

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SHow much more would you be willing to pay on $100 worth of groceries if a

version of your groceries was available from a local grower or producer?(n=1,348, weighted)

Mean Spending by Subgroup (in $)

Male Female 18-29 30 - 44 45 - 59 60 +

Mean $11.66 $15.38 $15.96 $13.19 $13.62 $12.02

% Spend more than $5 61% 66% 66% 63% 62% 65%

N 654 694 273 379 364 332

AnalysisThere is a fairly robust “buy local” mentality among Canadians. Almost three in four Canadians (74%) said they would be willing to pay more for groceries if a version was available from a local grower or producer.

Over three in ten respondents (31%) said they would be willing to spend over $15 more on $100 worth of groceries with an overall mean of $13.58.

Like other areas of ethical or sustainable consumerism, women and millennials said they were likely to spend more to buy locally grown products. Canadians 60 and older and men had the lowest mean spending figure.

www.abacusdata.ca

None; 26%

Less than $5; 11%

$5 to $10; 26%

$10 to $15; 7%

$15 to $20; 16%

Over $20; 15%

Overall Mean$13.58

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How much more would you be willing to pay for a $100 item if you were absolutely guaranteed that the item was ethically made – eg. Not in a sweatshop, not made by child

workers, not hurting animals?(n=1,348, weighted)

Mean Spending by Subgroup (in $)

Male Female 18-29 30 - 44 45 - 59 60 +

Mean $10.81 $16.00 $15.90 $12.32 $13.49 $12.82

% Spend more than $5 50% 66% 61% 55% 57% 63%

N 654 694 273 379 364 332

AnalysisMost Canadians also said they would be willing to spend more for a $100 item if they were absolutely guaranteed that the item was ethically made. Three in ten respondents (29%) said they would spend $15 or more on a $100 item if they were sure it was ethically made.

Women and millennials, again, were more likely to say they’d spend more than $5. They also would spend the most, on average, for an ethically made product.

www.abacusdata.ca

None; 28%

Less than $5; 14%

$5 to $10; 24%

$10 to $15; 5%

$15 to $20; 13%

Over $20; 16%

Overall Mean$13.49

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Over the past year, did you talk to your friends or family about any of the following:

(select all that apply)(n=1,348, weighted)

AnalysisOver the past year, Canadians talked more with family or friends about the merits of buying locally produced products (52%) than about ethics and social responsibility. However, ethical behaviour was still discussed by four in ten Canadians regarding acompany’s ethical behaviour (41%) and about avoiding products or services from a company they believe is unethical (40%).

The topics Canadians discussed the least were seeking information on a company’s ethical behaviour and/policies before making a purchase (17%), feeling guilty about a purchase from an unethical company (17%), and buying something primarily for ethical reasons that they may not necessarily need (8%).

Three in ten respondents (30%) indicated that they did not discuss any of the topics of the course of the past year.

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8%

17%

17%

30%

32%

33%

40%

41%

52%

Buying something primarily for ethical reasons that you may not necessarily need

Feeling guilty about a purchase from an unethical company

Seeking information on a company's ethical behaviour and/or policies before making a purchase

None of these

Choosing a product or service from a company you consider to be ethical

Recommending a company because you believe it is socially responsible

Avoiding a product or service from a company you consider to be unethical

A company's ethical behaviour

The merits of buying locally produced products

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

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10%

60%

16% 15%

Indifferent Conditional Adopting Committed

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Distribution of Ethical Consumer Segments in Canada(Source: Abacus Data, n=1,348)

In an effort to better understand the various degrees of ethical consumers in Canada, we segmented respondents into four distinct groups based on their responses to a number of the survey questions. These groups range from indifferent ethical consumers who are completely disengaged to committed ethical consumers who are fully engaged.

Indifferent Ethical ConsumersThese respondents do not self-identify as ethical consumers, do not discuss corporate social responsibility with their family orfriends, and indicate that they would not be willing to spend any more for locally grown or ethically produced products. These individuals are completely indifferent to social responsibility.

Conditional Ethical ConsumersThese respondents are the largest segment in Canada representing about 60% of consumers over 18 years of age. While they may or may not self-identify as an ethical consumer, their self-reporting purchasing behaviour is conditional. Some spend a little more on locally produced goods only while some will spend more for ethically produced goods. They rarely discuss corporate social responsibility with their family and friends.

Adopting Ethical Consumers Between conditional and committed ethical consumers, adopting consumers self-identify as ethical consumers but say they will spend only between up to 10% more for locally grown and ethically produced goods. They are engaged in ethical consumerism but to a limited degree.

Committed Ethical ConsumersThese individuals are fully engaged in ethical consumerism. They self-identify as ethical consumers, self-report that they would be willing to spend 15% or more money for locally or ethically produced products and discuss corporate social responsibility with their family and friends. These individuals are also make recommendations and seriously consider a company’s social responsibilitybefore making a purchase.

Segmenting Ethical Consumers

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COMMITTED ETHICALCONSUMERS

• 15% of consumers

• 48% male, 52% female

• More educated – 36% have a bachelors degree or higher

• Younger consumers with 49% aged 18 to 44 (mean 45.4)

• Much more likely to vote for the NDP and Green Party (24% and 17%) and less likely to vote for the Conservative Party (23%)

• Regional distribution:

• Atlantic 7%

• Quebec 25%

• Ontario 37%

• Central 3%

• Alberta 8%

• BC 21%

•Primary news source:

• TV 38%

• Online news 26%

• Newspaper 17%

• Social media 3%

ADOPTING ETHICALCONSUMERS

• 16% of consumers

• 53% male, 47% female

• More educated – 38% have a bachelors degree or higher

• Youngest segment with 59% aged 18 to 44 (mean 42.6)

• Political preferences more closely resemble national distribution (33% Conservative, 27% Liberal, 19% NDP, 8% Green)

• Regional distribution:

• Atlantic 9%

• Quebec 24%

• Ontario 36%

• Central 7%

• Alberta 10%

• BC 14%

•Primary news source:

• Online news 38%

• TV 34%

• Newspaper 10%

• Social media 3%

INDIFFERENT ETHICALCONSUMERS

• Smallest segment 10% of consumers

• 59% male, 41% female

• Mixed educational background – 30% have bachelors degree or higher

• Mixed generational segment (mean 45.6)

• Majority would vote Conservative (54% Conservative, 22% Liberal, 15% NDP, 3% Green)

• Regional distribution:

• Atlantic 7%

• Quebec 22%

• Ontario 45%

• Central 5%

• Alberta 12%

• BC 10%

•Primary news source:

• TV 38%

• Online news 30%

• Newspaper 16%

• Social media 2%

CONDITIONAL ETHICAL CONSUMERS

• Largest segment - 60% of consumers

• 45% male, 55% female

• Least educated – 23% have a bachelors degree or higher

• Marginally older consumers(mean 46.9)

• Political preferences tilted toward traditional parties national distribution (35% Conservative, 24% Liberal, 21% NDP, 9% Green)

• Regional distribution:

• Atlantic 7%

• Quebec 23%

• Ontario 37%

• Central 8%

• Alberta 12%

• BC 13%

•Primary news source:

• TV 43%

• Online news 23%

• Newspaper 15%

• Social media 2%

Profiling the Ethical Consumer Segments

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Abacus Data Inc. is Canada’s newest player in the public opinion and marketing research industry.Whether it’s telephone or online surveys, focus groups, one-on-one interviews, or secondary data analysis, the team at Abacus Data conducts public opinion, marketing, or stakeholder research that provides strategic insight to our clients. What sets the team at Abacus Data apart is its fresh perspective on politics, business, and consumer behaviour and a commitment to its clients.

Abacus Data offers its clients a comprehensive research tool kit that includes:

• Custom quantitative studies

• Opinion leader/Decision maker consultations

• The Vertex Panel (www.vertexpanel.ca)

• Omnibus surveys

• Focus groups

• Intercept studies

• One-on-one interviews

• Custom community panel creation and management

• Secondary data analysis

Dr. David Coletto, CEOColetto has over six years experience working in the marketing research industry. He has conducted research studies for organizations in many sectors including pharmaceutical, transportation, educational, telecommunications, media, arts and cultural, tourism, and retail. He has also advised elected officials and senior-level decision makers at the federal, provincial, and municipal government levels.

He received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Calgary where he taught Research Methods to undergraduate students.

Abacus Data also runs the Vertex Panel:An online research panel of Canada’s

leading public policy practitioners and scholars.

Find out more at www.vertexpanel.ca

100 Sparks St., Suite 1090

Ottawa, ON K1P 5B7(613) 232 - 2806

www.abacusdata.ca

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The third annual Corporate and Community Social Responsibility conference was held on Tuesday, November 16th, 2010 at Algonquin College in Ottawa to celebrate and showcased excellence in CCSR.

This year's theme was Achieving Social Innovation through Corporate and Community Collaboration.

Participants engaged with experts from around the country and learned new ways corporations are working with the community and NGOs and how such relationships improve productivity and enhance the bottom line. Corporations learned about best practices and how cross-sectoral partnerships enable employees of both NGOs and corporations to better utilize their collective assets to support community building as well as social and business innovation

Award Sponsorship Gold Sponsorship

Silver Sponsorship

Bronze Sponsorship

For more information about the conference, visit

www.ccsrconference.com

About the CCSR Conference

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For more information about this study or the series please contact:

David Coletto, PhDChief Executive Officer(613) 232-2806 x. 248

[email protected]

Twitter.com/ColettoD

Eli FathiChair

Corporate and Community Social Responsibility Conference

(613) 260-5007, ext. [email protected]

Twitter.com/oiqeli

To read our analyses and blog, find us online at www.abacusdata.ca